Look what I won in OWOH!

In February I took part in One World One Heart along with 1088 other artist bloggers! It was a fun event where I got to 'meet' lots of new blog people both here and on their blogs. I tried to visit every person that entered my giveaway and enter theirs. I petered out that the end, but I must have visited over 300 blogs!!!!

Of course at those odds I ended up winning a few different prizes:

First up - what was wrapped so nicely (above) was this lovely canvas art from Sharne of Sharne's Bits n Bobs! My husband collects elephant things, so this was a great addition to our house! I love these exotic colors, don't you?



Oh my girls & I just fell in love with this magnet board from Carla at 'A Day in the life of Miz Carla'. Very feminine indeed!



I am going to have fun filling this bright sunny photo album from Diane of Diane Did It.



And just in time for my Laura’s first loose tooth: this adorable toothfairy pillow from Lisa Michelle Designs!




I was so delighted to win these at OWOH. Thank you folks, I am so pleased to own your handcrafted gifts.

A word to the discouraged

We all do it – criticize our selves, our art work, our efforts. We compare what we have done to what we see others have done. This is normal, expected.

But what should the Artistic Mother, with precious little time to waste, do next?

Well here are some ideas that I have used:

1) Give yourself a mental pep talk:

- Read page 15 of my book (yep, I have to remind myself to follow the principles in the book, this stuff doesn’t always come naturally!)

- Remember you are not alone (why not talk to another artist friend, online or in real life)

- Resolve to not give in to self-criticism, if you give up now you will never progress

2) Do something

If you have made a collage or a background paper and you are discouraged there are a number of things to do:

- set what you have done aside for a week, don’t look at it. Do something else. Read some poetry, take some photos, do another craft that you are comfortable with. When you get out your art work after a while you may very well see it is not as bad as you first thought!

- try again, you may need some practice to get it right. You have to start somewhere and keep going. Put away what you have done and try it again.

- Make something SMALL

For Example:
STEP 1
Take what you have made and cut it up, tear it up, set these pieces aside!

STEP 2
Now get out some images – say something tried and true like a piece of old book paper and a butterfly image (this is a great source), a piece of ribbon and Rub on sentiment (rubber stamp word will do, or even printed words).



STEP 3
Choose one of the torn/cut up pieces of the 'failed' work, layer it over a piece of old book paper, glue on the butterfly and ribbon piece. Add the words.



STEP 4
Get out a piece of cardstock, fold it over, glue the ‘image’ to the card.



STEP 5
now is the important part:
Write a note of permission to yourself! it doesn’t have to be beautiful.

Another fun photo activity to do with kids!

If you have kids, grandkids, nieces or newphews you gotta visit Acorn Pies. Beth has the most amazing ideas of things to do with kids in nature. I love to visit her peaceful, lovely blog - to get ideas and reminders of simple, fun activities. If you scroll down below her posts, she has listed tons of things to do with kids - from making boats out of sticks to making corn dolls, toy pennants or bubbles...

However, simple, back to nature is only a dream for our family. When I bring these ideas to my house they end up being modified to fit who we are. The Cole World is filled with pink and layers and sparkles and lots of indoor crafting. While we live on 5 acres of wooded land I am sorry to say we don't venture out much. We love to build forts and fairy houses.... but usually in the living room or den, in costume, while listening to really loud music.

So when I announced that we would be doing Acorn Pies latest activity, we modified it Cole style.

The activity is to "Take your child outdoors and see how many different textures you can find. Touch things and see if you can describe how they feel". That translated into 'go to the girls room and see how many different textures you can find to photograph'.

So we did. The kids all scouted around picking up toys and stuff, exploring the surface and describing & naming them, then presenting them to me to be photographed.

Here is what we found:



















How fun was that? It was an interesting exercise as it took the kids a while to stop describing things by shape or color but to focus on the feel. And it was a good photography exercise for me ~ to not worry about photo composition or function or even color (my passion) but to try to capture the texture, to make texture the subject.

Thanks Beth for the idea. Why not consider doing this over the weekend? Let me know what you find!

Creative beginnings

Let me introduce Somerset Apprentice.




It "is a much more basic and thorough understanding of techniques geared toward people who aspire to make Somerset-esque art but need to learn the fundamentals through easy-to-understand instructions and close-up photos. We teach you the artful building blocks focusing on the basic how to's of amazing artwork." Stampington & Co.

This magazine is close to my heart. We all have to start somewhere. I remember when I started out doing mixed media, I poured over the techniques in Somerset Studio and books like Claudine Hellmuth’s Collage Discovery Workshop and Karen Michel’s ‘Complete Guide to Altered Images’ following the directions, trying out everything I read. Of course I ended up with a bunch of art pieces that looked like theirs, but no matter, it was a platform of skill off which I could leap and find my own voice.

This magazine is perfect for Moms like me who can’t take off and go to workshops or night classes, who are fitting art into their real lives. You can take the magazine with you to watch your kids classes, or on a picnic while they play. Then at home when the kids are busy, asleep or whatever you can try out the techniques, step by step.

There are many great articles in this publication by some wonderful artists. Even though they are meant to be to get you started I have found that I still benefit from reviewing the basics and affirming the techniques I have developed.

I have a small feature in this magazine about getting the creative juices going & choosing my color pallet for a project. Thank you to Jana Holstein for the invitation to share what I have learned.

The vision of Somerset Apprentice ~ to help the next new wave of mixed media artists in the door is something I strongly believe in, and was a major fuel for my book writing. But I want to not only come along side new artists, pry the creativity out of the shy, but energize the oldies (like me) ~ I have had my fair share of creative ruts and have found going back to the basics, to the essence of my art vision can ‘bring back that loving feeling’!

Thanks to Shannon Mucha for the photo above, of the magazine. I love that peek at the background papers you made Shan :) Even though Shannon is a seasoned artist, illustrator, photographer and all around artistic mother she is going to go through my book's workshop with Trudy Callan's Artistic Mother Art Group! I am so excited now as photos are starting to roll in of the things that those women are making!

If you happen to be doing the workshop on your own, feel free to add any photos to the Artistic Mother Flickr group that I am hosting. The journey has just begun, don't be worried if you don't like what you have made, we all started somewhere.

Can you remember your creative awakenings – first awakening or post-block awakening? Wanna share?

FYI - Giveaway on Seth's blog

A quick note:

Seth of The Altered Page is celebrating 200,000 hits on his very popular mixed media blog and anticipating the opening of 'The Book Guild' (sounds interesting). To celebrate these he is doing a 5 book giveaway! And all you have to do is leave a comment with your choice!

Why not join me and pop on over and have a chance at building up your inspiration & how to library?

Poetry book recommendations

Tellin' it like it is....

I have a strong preference for poetry that is accessible to normal folks reading. When I finish a poem I don’t want to think ‘what was that about?’ and left feeling dumb! I do not have time to go back to school and concentrate in literature class, so instead I look for poets that make it easy for me.

That said I still like my poets to be smarter than me, more creative. I want to ‘see’ what they are talking about and feel that sense of ‘yes, I know what you mean’ and think ‘oh how clever’. I like that feeling.

I would like to share with you some of my favorite poetry books that have met these requirements:

1) Late Wife by Claudia Emersen – this is my all time favorite book, about a woman’s experience of a divorce. Powerful, brilliant, moving. Brilliant metaphors at every turn.

2) Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy – this was one of my first poetry loves, I took a workshop from Carol Ann Duffy in Ireland, goodness - it was 16 years ago! How I wish I had kept writing over these years….

3) The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic – this is a brilliant, surreal, fun, devastating look at the absurd

4) The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins – funny, insightful, cuts through, holds up and describes the oddest things.

5) Delights & Shadows by Ted Kooser – what a lovely world this poet lives in, concrete, real, he studies those around him and reflects their mundane lives with dignity

6) North by Seamus Heaney – Ok this is a little too dense for me, but the words are layered and lovely and earthy. I can feel like I am in Ireland when I read this book.

7) Anne Stevenson selected poems – a delight, she is that wise older woman who is gentle and insightful. Her poems are real and well ‘seen’.

8) The Art of The Lathe by B.H. Fairchild – This poet is a MASTER of the English language. He writes about subject matter I don’t care about in real life, but writes in such a way that makes me compelled, riveted, amazed!

9) Good Poems complied by Garrison Keillor – this is the perfect starter poetry book, he has complied a complete, easy to read, diverse look at modern poetry.

10) currently reading Small Knots by Kelli Russell Agodon, who is a visitor of my blog! – I have not finished this book, but so far I am very much enjoying her insights and sensitive observations on life as a woman, daughter and a cancer survivor. Reading this book is like being touched by a light breeze ~ gentle and feminine, but sure.

Do you know of any wonderful poetry books? If you do, can you leave me a comment? Much appreciated.













*** Disclaimer – Some of these books are like watching movies that have been awarded an R rating. I would not recommend them for children ;) ***

Background paper decorating and Giveaway #13

I have found that in order to do any kind of collage, I have to have papers to collage with! In my book I list different types of papers and images that you could gather to build up your ‘art stash’ p55.

I always like to have something with a handmade look. I love bought scrapbook papers, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes something a little rougher, more organic is what a collage needs.

So I like to decorate my own papers! I made some the other week, and I wanted to share with you what the process looks like in real life:

Step 1
Layout a number of sheets of paper. (here I am using plain white copy paper, but you can get interesting effects on junk mail, typed paper, construction paper and cardstock)



Step 2
Choose your color scheme. I like to choose colors by turning the paint jars on end and grouping them in groups of 5 or 6 colors to see which ones are right together.



Step 3
Add at least 2 colors per page. I like to do random combinations of paint. Make little puddles of paint anywhere on the paper.



Step 4
Spread paint around the paper with either a paint brush or rag (or both) & some water, blending the different colors as they meet, while leaving other parts of the page with just one color. Add a third color if needed, I tend to add less of the new color. Make some of the pages washes by using more water. I like to vary the strength of the the color I use, saving the darker colors for the outside of the paper.



Step 5
Optional: use a piece of cardboard to spread paint too, it gives the surface a different texture.



Step 6
Paint all of your pages in a conveyor belt style until all the pages are painted. Let them dry.



Step 7
Choose the stamps and ink you want to 'decorate' your pages with.



Step8
Stamp the pages randomly, working again in that conveyor belt way. I don't worry what they look like, these will be torn or cut up for use in collage projects. They are not meant to be finished works of art!



And remember, your hands will get messy, but it will be worth it! This is a fun exercise to do with kids of all ages too!



I know this is super simple, but sometimes it is good to review the basics, if even to be reminded to do it!




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



To thank you for following along with my artful journey & the celebration of the launch of my book I am doing these regular Saturday giveaways!

One of my previous week's winners did not claim her prize so I am giving away 2 prizes this week!

The FIRST winner is

Sheree in New Zealand of Raven Moon Magic

Congratulations!

You get to choose one of the following 2 gifts:

Choice #1 - A soldered charm bracelet




Choice #2 - A butterfly reminder that says 'Pray Constantly'





The SECOND winner is
Amanda in the UK of
MaygreenFairies

Congratulations!

You get to choose one of the following 2 gifts:

Choice #1 - Soldered charm bracelet



Choice #2 - Collaged notebook 8x5 inches



Leave me a comment with your choice here and then I will contact you by email to get your addresses!


I have very much enjoyed doing these giveaways. I make so many art pieces that I don't have enough space for everything. It is the perfect way to pay it forward!

I will be taking a break from giveaways for the rest of March, but in April I am going to do 4 Saturday giveaways, the prize being kits that can be used to get started on the workshop in my book! I think that I will open those giveaways to comments so that I can be sure the kits go to folks that are interested in receiving mixed media supplies.

In May I will do a regular Followers giveaway again.

Off for the summer, as we go home to Ireland.

After that, who knows!!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am very excited to announce that the Shoppe at Stampington has listed my book! I am delighted. I learned so much of what I know from Stampington magazines, so it is no small thing to be part of their shoppe! I still remember the moment when browsing Barnes and Nobles I discovered Somerset Studio for the first time. It as like I was punched, I knew in that moment that mixed media was what I wanted to do.

Stampington publish a weekly e-news called 'Creative Impulse' and they included some pages from Shannon Mucha and my collaborative Motherhood journal in their 'guest artist/bonus project' section.

Getting started on The Artistic Mother workshop

This post is for anyone who is considering jumping in to the 12 week workshop laid out in my book.



One of the primary goals of my book is to give Moms, like me, like you a method of organization (time, space and mind) so that we can make space for art in our busy days.

In section one I lay out how important it is to create a vision statement, long term goals, short term goals and then a weekly schedule. In the workshop the weekly art schedule is made for you. But before you get there you need to take the time to create your vision statement (this is essential for project #4 anyhow), and to list your big and smaller art goals. These will help fuel your passion and resolve to keep at it.

So when you get the book, I recommend you read the first section thoroughly and take the time to do the mental preparation.

Next comes the physical preparation – getting your space and habits in order. Without some attention to these you may find it difficult to get going or keep it going over the course of the workshop.

You also have to start gathering the necessary supplies. I tried to use as few tools as possible in the projects, now is the time to see what you need to buy or borrow. One of the most important parts of creating the projects is having a large supply of papers, images and fabrics available to choose from as you create. So take some time to be a gatherer of stuff! I give you lots of ‘stuff’ ideas in the book.

The point is not to rush on and get the projects done, but to practice the process of slowing down, doing a little art a day and not becoming burnt out or stressed about it. Slow and steady, like the tortoise.

While I designed the workshop to be 12 weeks, in reality each ‘day’ could be 2 days or a week's work, whatever your circumstances calls for. The more realistic you are the more likely you are to stick with it.

The secondary focus of the book is to turn your artistic eye home, to your family, your kids. So be prepared to take photos and write about your world. Even if you don’t have kids, each of the projects could easily be adapted to be non-kid focused. You could focus on your spouse, parents, nieces and nephews, pets, friends, your personal items and so on, so don’t feel left out if you don’t have kids!!!

I have used every idea and technique and process in my book. If you follow the program I think you will be pleased with what you produce. But if you are only beginning, don’t be hard on yourself, with practice your skills will take you where you want to go.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check in tomorrow as I will be posting some recent photos of me making the background pages (Week 1) in the Artistic Mother workshop.

Also, I will be announcing the winner of my final Saturday giveaway (for a few weeks anyhow). One of my previous giveaway's prize was not claimed I am going to be giving away 2 things this week!

Family traditions

For Lily's 8th birthday we didn't do a party with tons of friends and games and present opening and a theme.... instead we had a weekend long celebration that included craft time with Mom, daily gift openings, a trip to see the Faberge exhibition at the Houston Science museum (her choice, that girl loves anything pretty), a picnic, a movie (The Toothfairy, which was very cute and surprisingly funny).



But the most special part involved a family tradition: when I was 8 I got my ears pierced in a department store in Dublin. So after much anticipation and discussion and forward looking we took Lily to Claire's at the Mall to get her ears pierced. She chose purple studs.



I love the whole idea of creating new family traditions. It would have been so easy to miss this, and take her any old time to get her ears done. But having that date in time 'on your 8th birthday you will get your ears pierced just like Mommy' sets the event apart, underlines it, makes it extra special. My other girls are already talking about their 8th birthday piercings! And I just know that one day their little girls will anticipate it too.

I am trying to think of other things to turn into traditions, such as getting your first box of oil paints at age 12 or the last weekend in the month is date with dad.... Does your family have any special traditions? Will you share them with me?

Echo collaboration - illumination & juicy

Juicy
Shannon left, Shona right




Illumination
Shannon left, Shona right




Shannon Mucha and I are taking part in Susan Tuttle and Chrysti Hydeck's collaboration challenge.

There is a Flickr group where others post too.

Why not join in? Having a bi-weekly challenge can really get your creative thoughts ticking.

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On a book note - I am going to be starting a Flickr group for anyone who makes projects based on the workshop in my book! So please look out for it soon. I will be getting the ball rolling by posting things that I have made (I just need to get them photographed), things that are similar to the pieces in the book, but different. I even have some pieces that are boy related!

art community & imperfections

Bruises

The days are often overcast, the sun
struggles to shine through the layers of fog and
cloud that hover above our neighborhood.

Sitting on her butterfly chair on the
porch thinking of her sister, she presses
the purple spot on her arm, not yet healed.

It is hard to hear them bicker over
toys, shove and push for dolls and plastic food,
pull books not shared

someone eventually cries cradling
an arm or head or toe. or heart. I scold and sooth
over and over. And now my arms ache.

These days I’m often walking out on
the stones, face to heaven looking to
see if there is the slightest chance of rain.

By Shona Cole



This is a good poem & photo to go with my post over at the Wishstudio. My article is about finding the balance between the good and negative parts of mothering and not falling prey to the lie of perfection – of trying to being the perfect mother or expecting our kids to be perfect; feeling let down by the imperfections in light of what is often portrayed in magazines and online about being a mom.

To help me keep that balance I have found that I rely on community. I do not thrive alone. I love to be real. I like to lay out what is really going on in my life to my closest friends, my Mum, my long suffering husband (who knows every detail about every detail of my existence :). I am fortunate to attend a church with the word 'community' in it's name. My best friends are all there. We share life together. We are honest. We support one another. It is vibrant.

I have another community, it seems odd to call it real, but to me it is: the community I am developing here through my blog, through the regular commenters who brighten my day and the community over at the Wishstudio (I think there is a lot of overlap). There are a lot of real women, sharing real things online. I encourage you to leave me a comment here, tell me what you are thinking, I want to hear from you and also visit the Wishstudio ~ browse back on the posts, jump into the discussions.


There is a new growing community forming online as a result of my book! Trudy Callan has been bitten by the Artistic Mother bug. In a week she has formed a group of women who are going to walk through the workshop in my book, The Artistic Mother, together. How awesome is that? They are going to hold each other accountable and cheer each other on and create some family focused art projects. They are in prep mode now and plan to jump into the workshop next week, so it is not too late to join in.

Trudy has gathered an exciting group of women. Joining the group are 4 that are super special to me: Shannon Mucha and Audrey Hernandez are both featured in the book, Cindy Mayfield is a contributor and Marissa Bowers is the books talented designer! Man, I can hardly believe it. I will be eagerly following along.

Of course, let's be real for a minute ~ now I have to worry about any flaws in my workshop coming to light! Guys, just ask me. I have done it already, I can answer any questions! It is all about community, right?



Oh and Mindy (Wishstudio coordinator) is giving away a signed copy of my book at the Wishstudio! Simply enter a comment here to be in the drawing.

And you can win another signed copy over here at Ruffles and Stuff.

So who won my book?

I was so very grateful to all those who participated via blog posts and Facebook messages in my book giveaway. If I could give everyone a book I would. Alas, there is only one winner....

chosen at random....

.... my book will be on it's way to Munich! to Brigit of Swapping Howdies.

I hope you enjoy it. I'll email you for your address.

To everyone else, when I do another book giveaway you will be automatically entered. Thank you for doing your part to get the word out. I feel passionate about both motherhood and art, I know you do to.